Meals on Wheels West has appointed board Chair Len Lanzi as interim executive director following the departure of Executive Director Kaylee Hawkins, the nonprofit announced Sept. 17.
Hawkins joined the organization in August 2025 and is leaving to pursue a new leadership opportunity in the nonprofit sector. Lanzi will lead the group while the board prepares to search for a permanent executive director.
"On behalf of the Board of Directors, our staff, volunteers and the neighbors we serve, I want to thank Kaylee for her service to Meals on Wheels West and wish her well in her next chapter," board member Rob Sherman said. He added that the priority during the transition is continuity, ensuring clients keep receiving meals, personal connection and supportive services.
Lanzi brings more than 30 years of nonprofit management, organizational leadership and fund development experience to the role. As board chair, he has been involved in the organization's strategic planning and financial oversight.
"It is an honor to step into this role and support an organization and mission that means so much to me," Lanzi said. "Meals on Wheels West has served our coastal Los Angeles communities for more than five decades, and our responsibility to our homebound neighbors is as important today as it has ever been." He said his immediate focus is supporting staff and volunteers, maintaining relationships with donors and community partners, and ensuring stability.
The organization provides home-delivered meals and supportive services that help homebound neighbors of all ages maintain their health, independence and community connections. Its services include wellness checks, friendly visiting and calling, support for veterans, medically appropriate meals for people returning from hospitals and rehabilitation facilities, help for formerly unhoused individuals moving into permanent housing, pet support and emergency preparedness resources.
Meals on Wheels West serves Santa Monica, Venice, Marina del Rey, Del Rey, Pacific Palisades and Malibu, and delivered more than 200,000 meals last year to a record number of clients. The organization has served Los Angeles County's coastal communities since 1974.
"Leadership may change, but our mission does not," Lanzi said. "We will continue delivering more than a meal."
The board will announce additional information about the executive search when available. For more information, visit MealsOnWheelsWest.org.
Edited by SMDP Staff